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Under the Glow of the Moon
"Straighten up, Jiraiya." Raian was saying. The war-hardened captain found himself in the Yoshida district of Rukongai, in the courtyard of the Dojang he had rebuilt in the shadow of his former master, Shōyō's, own academy. The sun was finally beginning to sink in the Soul Society skies and an evening breeze was prevalent on the fields of the otherwise lawless district of Yoshida. There, in the courtyard, Raian was teaching his first student; a young boy he had found among the corpses two months earlier, named Jiraiya. In the shade of the academy's side, a woman, Raian's new lieutenant, Yoshida, leaned up against the building, arms crossed across her chest, observing her mentor tutor his newest pupil. Raian was behind the small child, who was wielding a practice sword, helping him straighten up his form. For two months, the three had lived in the secluded academy, searching for orphans of the war with Akujin, and training diligently day in and day out. "Now then, swing." Raian continued, stepping back from his youngest pupil. "HYAH!" Jiraiya cried, lunging forward in a brilliant display of what he had been learning over the past two months. "Again!" Raian barked, folding his own arms as he observed. They continued this for several more moments. Raian would give the order and Jiraiya, immediately, would follow it; swinging his sword down in the most elegant, yet forceful manner his young body could muster up. By the time the sun slipped below the treeline, the young Soul had worked up quite the sweat. Yet, even still, he held his form until Raian gave the okay to relent. "You're getting better, slowly." Raian commented, ruffling his young student's brown mop of hair in praise. "Sensei," Jiraiya began, his voice trembling with exhaustion. "When will I get my real sword back?" "That sword you picked off a corpse?" Raian questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Never. It is a remnant of the old you. You will never pick it up again. When the time is right, I will fashion you a new weapon, and then, you will impress your soul upon it." "What you're saying makes sense." the boy persisted. "But—" "No buts." Raian cut him off staunchly. "That sword was wielded improperly. It has no place here." The elder Shinigami saw the hurt in the boy's eyes after he had said this, causing him to realize that perhaps he had been a little too harsh. His expression softened into somewhat of a softer smile. Getting down on bended knee, so as to be on Jiraiya's eye level, Raian once more placed his hand on the boy's head, causing him to focus on the elder Shinigami's eyes. "From here on, wield the sword not to strike down enemies, but to strike down your own weak self. Wield it not to protect yourself, but to protect your own soul." Raian told him, echoing the words of his own sensei. "Don't get discouraged. You will do just fine." "Yes sensei." Jiraiya replied, returning the smile. "You ready to head in?" Raian asked, first looking at Jiraiya before glancing in Yoshida's direction. The ever silent lieutenant nodded, unfolded her arms, and began to make her way into the academy. Raian got to his feet and Jiraiya walked beside him as they followed her into the academy, where the door shut firmly behind them. From above, as the moon rose in the sky of Soul Society, a hooded figure lingered in the air, staring down on the solitary academy, his hood hiding any discernible expression. As the moon rose ever higher, the hooded man was overcome by a shadow, and in a gust of wind, was gone... Man In the Moon From within the confines of the darkened academy, a shadow rose, creeping along the wall until risen to full height. From the menacing shade, a slim, hooded figure stepped out onto the wooden floor, carefully measuring his steps, so as not to alert the inhabitants of the building. Immediately, the man was overwhelmed by the power emanating from the place. The residents here were of a much higher caliber than in the Seireitei, which must've been why the king had sent him here, and not one of the other Sternritters. His silent stroll was cut short as a blade whizzed by his neck. He answered, as would be expected, by using the Reishi around him to generate his own sword, in an instant, swinging it to parry his assailants blade. Being careful not to allow his hood to fly back, and thus reveal himself, the Quincy continued to exchange sword attacks with his silent assailant, the heavy clash of metal filling the large classroom; the wooden boards that made up the floor creaking as each warrior took a step, or made a leap. "You fight well, Shinigami." the hooded Quincy finally breathed, landing atop a nearby desk. The dark figure did not reply, only baring its sword at the Quincy in the darkness. The Quincy could not place it, but his opponent did not seem to be the person he had intended to confront. From this, he deduced that it must've been one of the other two beings that were present with him in the yard earlier. It couldn't be the child, so that meant that this assailant of his was none other than the woman; his lieutenant. "Where is your captain, lieutenant?" the Quincy asked, angling his sword in a defensive manner. "Here." came a deep voice from behind the Quincy. The Quincy was taken completely aback by the captain's sudden arrival. He hadn't even sensed him enter the room, much less sneak up behind him. Then came the attack. From both sides, not just from behind. Parrying the lieutenant's blade, the Quincy then jumped over the captain's low sweeping blade. Using Hirenkyaku to propel himself in midair, the Quincy dashed across the room, inadvertently landing in a corner, where he spun around and place himself in a defensive posture. "What do you want, Quincy?" the captain's rumbling voice came from the shadows. "Shit.." the Quincy thought. "Even in the dark he noticed my Hirenkyaku. Now I have to neutralize him, or he'll warn Seireitei." "Answer him." The voice was definitely female, and once again, the Quincy found himself entirely stunned. For one, she had not spoken the entire time, not even when he was observing them from afar. It was the first time hearing her voice, which, in and of itself, startled him. But the more pressing matter was that, somehow, she had managed to get behind him, not all unlike her captain, without his noticing, allowing her to place the sharp edge of her blade dangerously close to the back of his throat, at the base of his brain stem. "Nothing from you, captain." the Quincy replied, trying not to sound rattled. "Did you not think I wouldn't notice your entry?" the captain's voice answered again. "This place may look like a cardboard hut, but I have thoroughly rigged it with precautions to protect my students and myself." "So it would seem." the Quincy replied, not even attempting to hide his disgust with his own lapse in judgement. "Do not forget, I thoroughly studied your kind's 'Quincy Shadow' during the last war. Decomposing Reishi to allow yourself to slip between the dimensions; it is quite unique from the method used by Shinigami or Arrancar and easily detected if one knows what to look for." the captain continued his explanation. "So, are you a remnant of Akujin's army?" "I would never associate myself with that foolish man." the Quincy spat, sounding almost insulted. "But I can reveal no further. I must take you out quickly now, so, if you'd please, captain, I'd like to skip the introductions." "I like that." the female's voice came from behind him, cold as ice. "Cut the bullshit and start fighting." Without giving him time to retort her insult, she thrust her blade forward, aiming to take his entire head right off his own shoulders. Thankfully for the Quincy, he had just enough time to flood his blood vessels with Blut Vene, causing the sword to halt short of its intended goal. With another burst of Hirenkyaku, the Quincy smashed through a nearby window, landing in the moonlit courtyard. In that instant, a familiar sense of warmth on his neck caught his awareness. Reaching back, he lightly dabbed the affected area, examining his gloved hand only to see the familiar stain of crimson; his own blood. "Son of a bitch..." he cursed to himself. "Even if its small, she managed to get through my Blut Vene." However, he had no further time for cursing or swearing. By that time, they were already upon him. Instinct took over where his human brain could not keep up as the Quincy furiously parried the assault of two expert swordsman at the same time. His efforts were in vain, however, as he noticed that they were quickly overcoming him. He wasn't able to match their onslaught and was now being put entirely on the defensive. Recoiling from the struggle, the Quincy gathered Reishi in abundance from the Reishi-rich air around him, loosing a flurry of arrows from the tip of his spiritual sword. It was no match for the captain-lieutenant duo, however, as they quickly, and easily, sliced through each of the arrows and continued to press him in bladed combat. At this rate, the Quincy knew he'd never force the captain to use his Bankai, much less steal it. At least when Franz had ambushed Seireitou Kawahiru, the man had neither the foresight, nor the intuition to have known the Quincy were coming, allowing Franz to catch him completely off-guard. This, however, was a situation resultant in the Quincy's own lapse in intuition and failure to realize that the captain he had been sent to deal with was far more cautious and shrewd than the devilish demon of unrivaled power that was the Shiroyasha. Falling back, the Quincy found himself finally trapped, and the captain, at his back, and the lieutenant, at his front, managed to move in at the opportune moment of weakness, holding both their blades mere inches from the Quincy's jugulars. Even he knew Blut Vene would be no use against the both of them. Not if the female's strength was any indication of what he'd be up against. "I'm surprised," the Quincy scoffed. "That your younger student hasn't come out to see what all the commotion was about." "Don't worry about Jiraiya." the captain, revealed in the moonlight as Raian Getsueikirite, let a loose grin slip across his face. "He's a deep sleeper. Chances are, he didn't even notice Yoshida and I dash through the halls as we passed his room." "How fortunate of him." the Quincy snarled, mildly annoyed by his predicament. "Now then," Raian continued. "Mind revealing to us where you came from and why you insist on pressing us in combat?" "I cannot reveal any of that. Not yet." the Quincy replied, drawing a blank stare from Yoshida and a rather annoyed expression from Raian. "You will learn when we meet again." With that, a shadow, in a yard full of them, rose up and consumed the Quincy's figure. Both Shinigami made an attempt to go through with decapitating the hooded man, but it failed as the shadow receded, leaving no one in the courtyard but the two of them. Both examined the spiritual energy around them, but saw no signs of the Quincy attempting to return for a counter attack. "We should go inside." Raian said, sheathing his Zanpakutō. "I don't want to take the chance of our Quincy friend using Jiraiya as a bartering chip. Yoshida's only reply was a cracked grin and a nod of agreement. "What?" Raian asked, comically annoyed by her grin. "You know how soft I am. I'd rather my own students not be kidnapped and used against me. Besides, I'm no good at rescue missions." "Yeah." the usually silent lieutenant replied, grin still present on her face as she begun to walk back towards the school. "You do suck at those." Captains In Peril! The Covert Operation Begins! Location: Shinigami Research and Development Institute Kagerōza Inaba stood on the bottom-most floor of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, examining various computer models on his large screens. They were projections of his research on the strain of virus Urahara had discovered on Soul Society's major battlefields. He could feel that he was close to a breakthrough on the topic, however, his quiet study time was about to be rudely interrupted. From the shadows of his laboratory, a dark figure arose, and then receded, revealing a tall, slender man, in a hood. Inaba immediately recognized this, wheeling around to view his stalker. "Who gave you permission to enter my lab?" Inaba questioned, gripping his cane tightly. "Erase the research of Captain Kagerōza Inaba." the hooded man replied. "That was the order I was given." "That's bold of you to admit." Inaba snapped. "But my research is not easily erased." "Burning Stomp." the figure uttered, seemingly ignoring Inaba's remark. Crashing his boot into the ground beneath him, the hooded figure unleashed an inferno which quickly swallowed the nearby laboratory entirely in flames, demolishing any and all technology within the shockwave's path. The sudden and instantaneous destruction of his personal laboratory, along with all the research contained within drew a blank, expressionless face from Inaba. It did not stay that way, however, as his face was quickly overcome with a terrible rage. Raising his cane, he uttered the words to activate it. "Go mad, Raikū!" the science-oriented captain declared. "A Shikai from a captain?" the hooded man queried mockingly. "Pity, after that display, I would've thought a Bankai would be more appropriate." Without further prodding, Bazz-B swiped his index finger in the direction of the fuming captain, launching a highly concentrated stream of flames. Reacting immediately, Inaba twirled his voulge to the right, creating a portal, which absorbed the flaming attack, before closing as quickly as it had appeared. Spinning it conversely, to the left, Inaba created a second portal, which created the likeness of the hooded man, and repeated his action, launching the concentrated stream of flames right back at its original. The flames hit their mark, but didn't even seem to leave a mark on the man. "Sorry, doctor." the man mocked. "My own attacks won't harm me." "That is an incorrect statement." Inaba retorted, holding up his index finger and wagging it disapprovingly. "You sayin' I'm lyin', doc?" the hooded man replied, annoyance clearly in his voice. "In short, yes." Inaba replied, pleased to get on the nerves of his opponent. "You simply reabsorbed the Reishi composing the flames as they reentered your personal space. My deductions would say that makes you a Quincy." "Tch, his Majesty should've known our abilities give us away." the hooded man replied. "Quincy or not, I care nothing for your origin. You destroyed my lab and all of my precious research." Inaba stated, clearly back to his irritated state. "That level of transgression deserves the ultimate punishment." "Geez, you sound like a preacher." the Quincy jabbed. "Bankai!" Inaba chanted, green spiritual energy erupting from every pore in his body. "Raikū Mujihi Honryū!" The Quincy had been waiting for this. The only reason his Majesty had sent the Sternritter into Soul Society was to, once more, steal away the Bankai of the captains, this time, so they'd be unable to defend against the coming plague. Reaching into his large cloak, the Quincy retrieved a palm-sized medallion and thrust it forward. Black tendrils of spiritual energy leaped from the crevices of the medallion's symbol, tearing the newly activated Bankai from its owner's body, before returning back to the medallion. "I lied to you, preaching captain." the Quincy cooed in his own victory. "My objective was not to 'destroy your research'. It was to steal your Bankai. It looks like my provocation did its job, nevertheless." "We countered the Bankai stealing the last time." Inaba retorted. "We'll do it again this time, too." "I'm afraid not. We've thoroughly researched our shortcomings in the last war, with these devices. I think you'll find it harder to crack than last time." the Quincy snapped back. Location: First Division Barracks "Madam Captain!" the voice of Gengorō Ōnabara, lieutenant of the 1st Division cried out, landing on his knees in front of Unohana's desk. "Report from the barracks of divisions six, seven, nine, and twelve! Quincy have appeared in the barracks and stolen the captains' Bankai." "So the hidden menace finally reveals itself." Unohana murmured, her face menacingly hidden by the darkness. "Don't they know that the same tricks will not save them this time?" "Captain, what if they come after your Bankai?" Gengorō posed. "Don't be foolish, Gengorō." Unohana admonished him. "My Bankai is something that should not be used by anyone else but me. Even they know that. They will not come here. Call an emergency meeting of the captains. This time, we counterattack." For King and Country Meanwhile, in the Human World, Jacqueline Getsueikirite silently waited in the wilderness outside of Rider City. Deep inside, she could feel the shifts in Reishi and Reiatsu taking place in Soul Society. It was as Raian had suspected and warned her. They were on the move again, and this time, their carnage would know no bounds. Suddenly, the Reishi directly behind her began to fluctuate wildly, almost as if in decomposition. "So, as expected, you've arrived." she declared to the newcomer emerging from the shadows. "You were expecting me, Mrs. Jacqueline?" an elderly voice replied. "How intuitive of you." "You Sternritter are more predictable than you'd like to think." she retorted, folding her arms. "Perhaps," the man replied. "You have a lot to answer for, Mrs. Jacqueline. You went missing during the first war with the Shinigami and were also missing for—" "His Majesty's second raid on Seireitei?" Jacqueline answered for him. "Indeed." the old man replied. "His Majesty is not pleased with you. He has ordered for your arrest and immediate return to the palace." "Huh," Jacqueline shrugged. "Pity." "Is it?" the elderly man queried. "Yes." Jacqueline confirmed. "It is a pity, because you won't be able to do that tonight." "Surely you do not think you can take me in combat?" the elderly man posed, sounding almost amused. "Perhaps, but that is neither here nor there." Jacqueline replied, finally turning to face him. "I know you're on a time table. You can't alert the Seireitei to your operations. And..." Jacqueline tugged a white glove off of her right hand, revealing a black glove with an intricate pentagram designed into it. "If you fight me," she continued. "They will certainly notice." "You surprise me, Mrs. Jacqueline." the elderly man noted. "The daten suggested you did not know how to preform your Quincy: Vollständig." "Then your daten is sorely outdated." Jacqueline snapped. "If we're going to dot his, we'll have to make it fast. Wouldn't want you getting caught." "Indeed." the older man replied. Then, in unison, both combatants shouted; "Quincy: Vollständig!" The light of their crosses illuminate the World of the Living! Next time, Jacqueline vs the Mystery Man and the Shakyaryū Dojang joins the fray! 'End'